Wanderer

What better place to ask, than old farts? We are willing to share our opinions.

Currently, I ride Brooks B-17, regular, and love them.

However, I am always willing to try new things, and Selle's sale has me interested.

Considering a Selle Anatomica X or NSX, for my Sirrus. I'm leaning toward an X Watershed Graphite.

Of those who have had them, or both, which is recommended by us, and why? How do they compare to Brooks? Quality, Longevity, Customer Service?

Thanks for any help you care to share, as this hundred bucks is burning a hole in my shorts.............

Yes, I have searched out MANY threads, just looking for a fresh perspective.

bowzette

I have three bikes and a SA on one of them. I've tried several Brooks and my sit bones broke in before the saddle did. I weigh 140 and have the SA Trueleather X. I'm use to hard racing saddles and it felt comfortable from the start. I think the Trueleather will be more durable and less likely to sag than the Watershed. The SAs have been improved this year-better rails, redesigned nose and adjusting screw twice the length of adjustment than the old model-I have the old model and fine so far. Most folks unhappy with the SA is due to premature sagging. If you are a big rider forget the X and go with the NSX. It is comfortable riding on top of the bars and hoods. I will find out if I can get on the rivet and hammer or not. You have to have the nose tilted up at least a little or you will slide forward. It takes some time to set it up for what works for you. Small adjustments make a difference. Also follow the instructions for taking care of the saddle. If you treat it like a Brooks you will ruin it. At $99 it is a great buy. In the spring you can sell it and get most or all of your money back if you take care of it.

bikemig 

bikemig 

I've been running a selle anatomica nsx now for a year. I bought it for a drop bar mtb. It has long rails which really helps with the fore aft position. It was comfortable without any breaking in. I like it and I am considering buying another one.

I haven't used the one with a cut out though.

bowzette

I wanted the cut out not for pressure relief but to allow the sit bones and saddle to move independently.

Wanderer

Interesting, that Selle Anatomica says the X series are designed for us fat guys................. those over 200#

bowzette

If you are 200+ go with the NSX. I think you may have sagging issues with the X-at least the saddle may

Wanderer

Yes, that is the way I "should" go, as I have never had a problem with a regular Brooks B-17 ----- the extra material can't hurt help hold my sagging issues up............................ thanks for the reminder................. LOL

NOS88

I'm always concerned when a Brooks rider says he or she never had a problem with their saddle, but are now looking at something different. You may be inviting problems to the party by switching. I've owned and ridden Brooks (mostly Pros) and didn't have any problems with them. The last one just wore out and I moved onto other saddles. I currently have the SA, and other than it being primarily a leather saddle and heavy, there is little, IMO, about it and the Brooks that are the same. The nose on the SA tends to be longer and the cut-out creates an entirely different feel. Do I like the SA? Yes, it's great for my more upright riding bikes. Not as much love for it on my go fast, handlebars much lower, bikes. One major dislike is the very front tip of the saddle. The leather is cut-out so that you can use a hex wrench to adjust tension. I'm constantly getting my clothing hung up in that spot as it seems to be the perfect shape and size to snag your shorts, tights, bids, or pants. If you're really determined to let the $100 burn a hole in your pocket, you could send it to me.

Cyclosaurus

I have both a B17 and a Selle Anatomica Truleather. The SA felt broken-in comfortable right away (compared to the B17).

Wanderer

How would I ever know if something is better, if I didn't try it? I hear lots of good about other stuff, and always look to improve.

Besides, my kids and grandkids are always happy to take my cast offs................... which in turn, gives me more stuff to put on other neighborhood kids' bikes...... Saddles, brakes, cables, chains, etc..................

I will probably pull the trigger on one today, so I can put some miles on it before winter shuts me down......... my LBS can order thru QBP, and provide the sale price.

fietsbob

Seems the watershed Leather has shown them to stretch pretty quickly , so they introduced a 'TruLeather' alternate.

X reinforcing Not a Bad Idea

I have Used A Brooks Pro I got when I was a Meer Youth 30 years ago, but now in the wet,
Its on My seldom used Touring Rig.. parked in the Basement. Its still Fine..

gabedad

Titanico x on both my bikes - love them . and at $99 till the end of the year- can't beat the price - I just paid 159 in april. One is watershed - one is true leather.

They do stretch and then settle in. over 3000 miles on my first and 2000 on my second - both great!

BengeBoy 

I have a Selle Anatomica with thousands of miles on it. I love it. As noted above, it will stretch when new, you have to keep tensioning the seat for the first few months until it settles in.

Meanwhile I also have two Brooks saddles I also like. But the Selle Anatomica is my go-to saddle for a long-distance bike where I'm going to spend many hours in the saddle.

NOS88

Methinks that's how I've come to be married twice.

GeneO 

How do these saddles hold up over time? I would think they would be prone to sagging. How many (thousands) of miles has anybody really put on one of these? Just curious.

ricebowl

I have a titanico, a titanico X, and a brooks pro. My brooks was comfortable but one day it just decided not to be? So I decided to try SA. Fit and finish no comparison, brooks is top notch just okay on the SA. Comfort is better on the SA right off the bat. They do stretch a disconcerting amount. I retired my titanico, I was under the suggested weight limit and it stretched a ridiculous amount in a short number of miles less than a 1000. Missed the pro anyway. and we started getting along again. The titanico X on my touring bike seems to be doing a little better. I'm 155 pounds and after about 1500 miles I've used up half the tension screw.

Hopefully I'm set for saddles right now. But if I was in the market I'd try rivet saddles similar to the SA but seems quality is better. But made in Taiwan if that matters to you.

Customer service goes to SA. Not because they were good. But at least they answered . Brooks didn't respond to my request for tips on dealing with saddle comfort that suddenly went south.

BengeBoy 

I have 5,000 miles or so on mine.

NOS88

Mine is in it's fifth year. Between bikes, I would estimate that the one this is on gets about 1800 to 2000 year. No signs of fatigue yet.

Wanderer

Well, I bought an NSX, and it should be here next week - hopefully enuf time to ride it before the snow starts flying (which may be next week!)

RonH

Never owned or considered a Brooks, but I have 2 Selle Anatomica saddles, X series -- one black, one graphite.
The SA was recommended by a few friends here on BF. Thought I'd give it a try. Bought one and rode it for a week or so and really liked it so bought a second one for the other bike. Still happy with it after ~6 months.

Jinkster

Well I'm certainly not the most experienced rider here but like most old farts?...I have an opinion. ..one that has kept me from buying and trying one of these leather butt hammock style saddles...even though they have many far more experienced fans than most....and my reasoning is as follows...

To me?...it seems that while many will easily find such a saddle comfortable?...the reason they do is because they are flexible....and as such?...could be positioned slightly off optimum yet still feel comfy because what they lack is "definition"...and then they fit, mold and conform too your butt wherever they may be (too a degree)...whereas a hard saddle such as my romin evo comp gel?...is highly defined about telling my butt where..."EXACTLY RIGHT"....is.

Which is something I feel a sling style stretchy saddle is not entirely capable of.

Wanderer

You may be misunderstanding leather saddles......a very common misconception. They are hammocks, by no means. All of my Brooks have stayed really hard, and slippery, except where they form slightly to your sit bones. If you sat on mine (B-17), you would say it is as hard as a rock. But, now it fits me. If they ever do lose their stiffness, you lace the sides to bring it back. Kinda like adding an upright beam along the sides. Being able to move around on them easily, while still having a "perch" to sit on them, is most of their usefulness.

As far as I'm concerned, anyone using an oily concoction on Brooks, completely ruins them quickly. They are supposed to be stiff, not like a soft baseball glove, or soft slippers. They are work boots for your butt..... support and protection.

I have only ever used Proofhide on my Brooks', and put it on kinda thick on the underside - only once, when new. I even used a flux brush to work it around the contact points to do away with leather squeeks. The top gets a minimal annual coat, (think shining boots with Kiwi) when I put my bike away for the winter (yeah, it snows up here for about 4 months.) Then it gets a good buffing in the spring when I GI the bikes, to bring them out of storage.

Seldom, have I ever tightened a Brooks saddle, and then only a half turn, maximum..... I'll bet I haven't put a grand total of five complete revolutions on all my Brooks seats over forty years. TOTAL! You might be surprised how little maintenance they really need. Resist the urge to do anything!

I'll soon find out how the Selle AnAtomica compares. If it turns out to be too soft, I have a skinny granddaughter who would take it off my hands. I can always go buy another Brooks.

You know, Jinx, I really think these leather saddles start out harder and stiffer than a lot of OEM plastic seats. Have you ever noticed how much they actually flex when riding? My Brooks' have stayed hard and stiff, but they (and me) form to each other. (not the stiff part)

I'm really going to research leather care for this AnAtomica, because their saddle sauce sure looks and smells like Lexol, which gets absorbed into leather and is water based. Proofhide is a protective coating more than anything, like boot wax. I know leather loves Lexol, but it also softens it over time (and sure makes it heavy). I may just go the Proofhide route, as I know that works on leather saddles.

If you get a chance to try one, you really should, as it is usually pretty eye opening. One thing to remember, different styles for different styles. A race saddle ain't a touring saddle, and a springer wouldn't work very well on a Roubaix....... B-17 seems to split the difference on a lot of bikes, and is as close to a jack of all trades, as you will find. But I'd lean more toward a Pro for a road bike.

tcs

"Selle" is Italian for 'saddle'. Selle Anatomica, Selle Italia, Selle Royal, Selle San Marco, Selle Monte Grappa and Selle Ad Infinitum are all different saddle manufacturing companies.

tcs

The finest hammock style saddles were arguably made by Dursley-Pedersen.